6. It doth not only bind our duty upon us, but it encourages us to repent and believe and obey ; for Christ is ' able to save to the utmost all those that come to God by him,' Heb. vii. 25 ; and he is ' the author and finisher of our faith,' Heb. xii. 2 ; and doth ' give repent- ance as well as remission of sins,' Acts v. 31 ; ' For to you it is given, on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,' Phil. i. 29, The first grace is his gift, and his resolved gift to the elect, but all are to take their lot. If it were said to us alone that we should strive to enter in at the strait gate, or that we alone should deny ourselves, and take up our cross and follow him, it
SEKMON UPON JOHN XIX. 30. 41
were hard ; but when the same terms are propounded to all, and when many, young and old, rich and poor, have received them, and have tried God's ways, and it hath succeeded well with them upon trial, why should we fear it ? If nobody had done it, or could do it, then we might stick at God's terms. This argument Austin used to himself in his conflicts of conscience, lib. viii. Confess, chap. 11. When he had long withstood offers of grace, he would then propound to himself the ex- ample of others : Cur non poteris quod isti, et isice f Isti et istce non in se pouterwit, sed in Domino Deo suo — Why may not I, as well as those holy men and those good women ? They did it not in themselves, but in the strength of their God, and the power of his grace. The yoke of Christ will be more easy than we think of, especially when it is lined with grace.
7. When we have once accepted the condition, cleared up our title, then we shall have cause to glory in the Lord, and be sensible indeed that all things are finished which are necessary to our comfort and peace, and that this was a full merit ; as Paul would glory in the cross of Christ : Gal. vi. 14, * God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ; ' Kom. viii. 1, ' There is now no con- demnation to them which are in Christ.' Then we shall make the bold challenge of faith : Eom. viii. 33, 34, ' Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? it is God that justifieth; who is he that con- demneth ? it is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.' If Christ had not made a full expiation of all our sins, we were under condemnation still. He doth not say. There is nothing worthy of condemnation in believers ; for as long as sin and the flesh remaineth in us (which doth as long as we live in the world), there is a potential guilt of damnation, an intrinsic merit in our actions of death and condemnation ; yet the actual guilt or obligation is taken away, because Christ is made a curse for us. Well, then, our solid rejoicing to the last is in this complete satisfaction : Kom. v. 11, ' We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the atonement ; it is Kavxc^/J^^voi, we glory in God.
Use. Let this raise in us —
1. An hearty thankfulness and admiration of the love of Christ, who would not give over suffering till he could say, ' It is finished ; ' till he had done enough to glorify God and save the creature ; enough for the destruction of sin, as well as the abolition of the curse. Chi'ist did not compound, but paid the utmost farthing. Oh, let us raise our thoughts in the consideration of this love. His enemies interrupted him, and tempted him to give over : * Save thyself ; if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross,' Mat. xxvii. 40, 42 ; 'If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.* But because he was the Son of God and the king of Israel, he would not come down till he was taken down, and all was done that was neces- sary: 'All God's works are perfect,' Deut. xxxii. 4. The Father ceased not till, upon the sixth day, he had perfected the work of the creation, and upon the seventh day he rested ; so Christ will not come down till he had finished the work of redemption on the sixth day, and on the seventh he rested in the grave, and rose early in the morning on the
42 SERMON UPON JOHN XIX. 30,
first day of tlie week, to sliow the truth of his satisfaction. And the Holy Ghost's work is perfect; all the time of this life he continueth increasing our graces, but in the everlasting sabbatism, when sin shall be no more, his work is brought to an end ; and then he shall 'present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy,' Jude24.